Sharks: A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press

by Andrea Gibson, Robin Carter (Illustrations)

At last, a fantastically illustrated new addition to the classic nature guide series.

A Golden Guide to Sharks , like all the books in the series, presents a general overview of its subject in accessible prose, illuminated by detailed illustrations of the species discussed. It's directness enables it to be appreciated by young and mature audiences alike.

Genres: Field Guides, Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2002

Reviews

[Trent Marv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright so this is the fourth golden guidebook I've read and I must say it has to be the best one yet. First unlike the previous ones whose coverage of the group's (insects, arachnids, snakes) evolutionary history was pretty lacking, this one actually does illustrate a decent number of extinct shark groups including one of the oldest shark Cladoselache many bizarre forms from the Carboniferous like Hybodus, Stethacanthus, and Heliocoprion (which may technically be more related to modern Chimeras than true sharks but still were related), and of course Megalodon. It also does a great job at showing the interior anatomy of sharks as well as covering the varied reproductive methods they engage in. It also does a great job depicting sharks as actual animals and not monsters. It also talks about their living relatives like rays as well.
The taxonomy of the book is still perfectly fine though some stuff is a bit outdated, for example we now know that there is a second species of frilled shark off the coast of South Africa, The Southern African Frilled Shark (Chlamydoselachus africana). But nothing huge like with the Snakes. Could have maybe included a few more species for some families are only depicted by one species which I think there could have been more angel sharks and swordsharks.
Overall a great guide to sharks you should read.

[Dianna Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ton of info in a tiny book! Easy to carry with info on a wide array of sharks. Fully illustrated pictures, scientific information, and usually some anecdotes about the animal’s behavior and lifestyle.

Really recommended!